Making the Grade

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Custard Pie

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I followed Obi’s example and took a nap during the making of this pie. (Although I did not take the imitation so far as to nestle down in a pile of laundry.) It was necessary. That morning had been the last day of school for my students, and to say that the week had been ‘busy’ would be quite an understatement.

It’s okay though, I didn’t nap while anything was in the oven. I’m not that foolhardy. I only napped while the pre-baked crust was cooling. (Hint: this should tip you off to the presence of a cream or custardy sort of pie.)

Wanna see the main ingredient?

Yum yum yum. Maple Syrup! Now, for this Maple Custard Pie, Ken says to use lighter syrup, Grade A. I think this turned out fine. As long as you use pure maple, any grade will give it a nice flavor.

I find it ironic that after all my hard work grading and writing report cards that week, I still had to think about A’s and B’s as I made this pie.

Doesn’t it kind of look like a sweet potato pie? The darker syrup definitely lent itself to the color, as did the 4 egg yolks, since my eggs come from happy hens and have gorgeous dark yellow yolks.

We ate this with a bunch of lovely Australians, and it really did feel like summer had finally begun.

Four years and counting…

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Uncategorized

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Nearly a month ago, Levi and I celebrated our fourth anniversary. (Say what!)

I just wanted to throw out a little love to a restaurant in Ventura that we happened upon when deciding where to eat that night. BBQ isn’t one of our favorite cuisines, and we had never heard of the place before, but for some reason we walked by the Saloon BBQ company and felt like we should give it a try. And we sure were glad we did. After an incredible meal (Fig Mtn. brews on tap-killer mac and cheese-vegetarian sloppy joe-fried okra-a cocktail that tasted like root beer, but better) we were given this complimentary piece of pie by the friendly staff. And it wasn’t even until afterwards that I told them we had had pie at our wedding four years earlier.

If you get the chance, go on over to their Facebook page and just hit the Like button. They’re a new place, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. Better yet, if you’re in Ventura anytime, go have some fried okra for me and let me know what you think.

Pie Upon Pie

22 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Berry Pie

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blackberry, blueberry, mini pies, rhubarb, shortcake, strawberry

Levi starts to get really happy right around Memorial Day Weekend, because “It’s almost summer, and in summer the pies really pick up the pace.”

True.

Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching. But it kind of consumes my life during the school year, and by the end of May, I am as squirmy for summer vacation as my eight-year-olds are.

LOOK AT THIS RHUBARB! Thank you, Whole Foods, for actually having some awfully decent stuff. It’s hard to come by in California.

To kick off Memorial Day weekend, much to Levi’s disgust, I made a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie and gave the whole thing away to my cousin Alisa for her birthday. (I had made it once before.) Hope it was delicious, Jennings family!

We had guests for the long weekend, Celia and Ken from Baltimore. On Saturday night we had our first chaotic bring-something-to-share-don’t-mind-the-mess-or-the-dog-he-just-wants-to-eat-all-your-food barbecue on the patio. Good times. For this event I did make a new pie…Three-Berry Shortcake Pie. Man, berries are just SO delicious at this time of year.

Maybe it’s just cause I’m writing this post from Minnesota, but I can’t help thinking that little berry juice formation in the middle of the pie looks just exactly like Lake Michigan and Lake Superior…right?!! Or am I crazy?

Other highlights of the weekend included an excursion to the Getty Villa in Malibu and a jaunt to Chinatown. It was fun being in Chinatown so shortly after being in China. A bit anticlimactic though, to be serious.

I found the mini pies. I tried the Black Bean variety. It was satisfactory. I’m now a bit interested in figuring out if there is some sort of pie in every culture. Besides bean paste pies and egg tarts (which I had in China) I can think of empanadas, quiches, savory meat pies, pasties, Jamaican patties…Could a samosa be considered a mini pie? Hmm. Will have to consider this further.

Now that it really is summer, I’m making pies much faster than I can post about them. Stay tuned, and–as always–thanks for reading.

Shanghai Pie

08 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Apple Pie

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

apple, China, cinnamon, Shanghai, travel

We spent most of my spring break this year in Shanghai.

*pinches self* Yes, that’s true. Wow. Amazing. We are so blessed.

The week was kind of a whirlwind, involving overnight trains and Great Wall hikes and all kinds of culinary…intrigues. But best of all was the time we were able to spend with our good friends Dan and Sylvia and little Grace. On the day before we left, we were ready for some down time, and Sylvia (who is Chinese) asked me if I could teach her how to make pie for Dan (very American). I thought I’d just share a few of my favorite pictures from our baking session with all of you.

I love this last picture because it’s such a perfect image of America in China, apple pie with rosebud tea.

Also…

If you’re interested in seeing more pictures from our China trip, send me an email at the.pie.diaries@gmail.com. I’d be happy to send you a link to our PhotoStream.

Strawberry Pies Forever

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Berry Pie, Mixed Fruit Pie

≈ 1 Comment

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cream cheese, mint, raspberry, strawberry

It’s SPRRIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!

And here are some strawberries from our garden to prove it!

While I was making this Strawberry-Raspberry Mint Pie I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the colorful filling. I love all the different textures; the powdery spices, the bumpy raspberries, the dotted strawberries, the wrinkled leaves. There’s just enough mint in this pie to give it a super-interesting depth of flavor. You don’t really taste mint as a separate flavor; you just notice a coolness in your mouth after each bite.

Here are a few quick facts about strawberries that you may or may not already know.

1. California grows 80% of the strawberries in the United States, and our strawberry season starts early, at about the end of March.

2. Strawberries rot when they touch the ground. That’s why they’re called strawberries, because bedding the area around the plants with straw keeps them from spoiling.

3. Strawberry pies bubble over like crazy. (I talked about this last summer.) It’s not quite as dramatic when the strawberries are mixed with other fruit, which is why you’ll rarely find an all-strawberry pie.

I baked this pie the morning of Easter Eve (?? You know what I mean.) I am going to take this opportunity to squeeze in a small brag and show you that I also made Chango Bars for my second grade class and bread at the same time. Boom.

And then we went to the airport to pick up my Aunt Sarah, Uncle Joe, and cousin Matt from Minnesota! It was Matt’s spring break, and he very wisely had decided California was the destination of the year.

We fed him lots of In-n-Out burgers to ensure that he’ll come back soon.

Here’s the pie, all dressed up for Easter Sunday. The pastry here (Tender Cream Cheese Pastry) is my favorite from Ken Haedrich’s cookbook*, and it just gets even better with a little powdered sugar on top.

A good pie makes for a happy aunt.

*P.S. I know many of you have gotten so tired of looking at my pictures of pie that you have already purchased the Pie cookbook. Good on you. If any of the rest of you are on the verge, let me remind you that it’ll only set you back $21.95 if you purchase it through Ken’s website, The Pie Academy. And it’ll set you way ahead in quality of life.

Pie and Music

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Apple Pie

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

apple, crumb, dutch apple, Jenny and Tyler, yogurt

It’s not every day that some of your favorite musical artists come to your house to give a concert. But when that day comes, it’s good form to bake a pie.

I chose a Pennsylvania Dutch Sour Cream Apple Pie, mainly because it sounded wildly delicious. Other factors were: 1. It definitely gives a solid nod to the East Coast, where Jenny and Tyler and I are from. 2. I tend to choose apple pies when baking for people I’ve never entertained before. Because who doesn’t like apple pie?

Five reasons why Jenny and Tyler are super cool:

1. They have a vinyl album.

2. They did a cover of “The Sound of Silence” that you can buy here; proceeds go to the International Justice Mission.

3. They ate my homemade bread without complaining.

4. Jenny has a glockenspiel. ‘Nuff said.

5. Tyler plays a suitcase kick drum and eats pie straight from the dish.

One of my college professors once told me that I should be a music journalist for a living. It’s true that I find it easy to write about music that I feel somewhat detached to. But sometimes you come across musicians who create music that you not only enjoy listening to, but feel that you could have written yourself in the sense that every word resonates so strongly in your heart. And so I won’t try to describe Jenny and Tyler’s music except in a few words: real, God-centered, passionate, fun, alive. You can follow this link to download seven of their songs for free!

If you missed the concert, check out www.jennyandtyler.com for tour dates, music videos, and more.

If you were at the concert, leave a comment and share a favorite moment!

If you were at the concert and I brought the pie out after you left; please do forgive me. If I had had the time and ingredients to make pie for all who attended, I most surely would have.

**A couple of delayed thank-yous:

To Andrew for helping set up.

To Mimi and Danny for helping sell merchandise!

To Mimi and Robin for helping me make the welcome banner. You are such exquisite discerners of patterned paper…

To Russ, for the balloons.

To all of the audience members who contributed to the great vibe of the show.

To Jenny and Tyler for coming out to Simi Valley and performing. We had so many people ask us, “But HOW did you get them to come to your house??!” And we said, “Umm…well, we just asked.” We’re so glad you came. You both have beautiful spirits and we feel blessed to have shared some time together with you. Come back anytime.

A Brief Announcement…

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Mini Pie

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

contest, mini pies, pie-in-a-jar

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to show you a picture of Levi’s hand, choosing, at random, an international Pie-in-a-Jar testing volunteer.

(He did the same thing for the domestic crew.)

(His eyes were closed, so there was no cheating or bias involved.)

And the winners of this highly sophisticated name drawing are…

Jen Wallace in Melbourne, Australia, and Eric Lange in Norfolk, Virginia (I mean, I think it’s you, Eric. I can’t imagine who else could possibly be known as the Norfolk Ninja?)

Hooray!! Congratulations!!

(Jen, make sure you give Tim a bite. For the sake of marital harmony.)

I have decided to add one more taste-tester to my list. And that is Thamar Alexander, who first gave me the idea to make pies in a jar when she sent me this link in 2011.

If the three of you could so kindly scroll to the very bottom of this site and send your mailing addresses to the email address listed below, I will send you a Pie-in-a-Jar perhaps not in the very IMMEDIATE future but certainly in the not-so-distant future. 🙂

Pies Are Just Delicious Circles

29 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Dried Fruit Pie, Nut Pie

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

date, nut, pecan, pi

There is one list of holidays commonly recognized throughout the United States by the average citizen. This list includes the like of the fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, perhaps Hanukah, maybe Easter…etc.

Then there is anOTHer set of holidays that only teachers know about. It’s true. Secret list. Teachers, in addition to decorating their classrooms seasonally and being more likely to wear holiday-specific attire than anyone else in the world, have created a whole slough of extra holidays to celebrate. This phenomenon occurs because teachers don’t have anything else to do with their time (sarcasm.) It actually occurs because teachers are just such fun and fantastic people.

Holidays that fall in this category, at least at my school, include the following:

Read Across America Day/Dr. Seuss’s birthday
Pajamas and Pancakes Day
100th Day of School
Crazy Hat Day
Pi Day (March 14th)

Pi Day is a great holiday because pi has everything to with circles, and circles are shaped like pie, and pie is a homonym for pi, so Pi Day really usually ends up as another cleverly disguised excuse to eat Pie. (I find there are so many of these excuses in life.)

On Pi Eve (3.13) I baked Ken Haedrich‘s Chewy Medjool Date-Nut Pie.

Just one little tip from Ken about chopping dates: it’s much easier if you sprinkle a little flour over them first. Cause they’re really sticky, dontcha know.

Dates: one of those food items people either love or hate. I love ’em.

Levi took it upon himself to make sure the flavor was up to par. The description that I heard was, “This is basically a better pecan pie.”

Obi would gladly have taken the job of taste tester upon himself had he been granted the opportunity.

Here are a few peeks of Pi Day gluttony in action. I love pie and all, but I’m telling you, this is a no-fail recipe for a stomachache.

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If you’d like to check out my post about LAST Pi Day (3/14/12), go here.

If you’d like to watch a video my students made last year in response to the question “What is Pi?” you can find that here.

If you commented on my last post (about Pie-in-a-Jar) thank you so much for your enthusiasm! I will be randomly drawing the names of at least one domestic and one international helper and will announce the winners in my next post. Here’s hoping the jars can hold up to the journey!

Pie-in-a-Jar!

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Apple Pie, Mixed Fruit Pie, Summer Fruit Pie

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

apple, berry, blackberry, blueberry, jar, mini pies, pear, pie-in-a-jar, raspberry, spices, strawberry

Pie-in-a-Jar is as exciting as it sounds.

They’re pies. In JARS.
They’re so super cute.
I think they would hold up really well in the mail. Big question is whether they’ll hold up internationally. Now taking domestic and international volunteers to help me test this theory out.

A year ago, I send some normal pie pies (as opposed to pie-in-a-jar pies) to a bake sale in Palm Springs benefitting the school I teach at. You can read that post here. This year, I was asked to contribute again to the same sale. I decided to make mini pies in jars this year after pondering the following key points.

What’s better than a slice of pie? A whole pie to yourself.
What’s more socially acceptable than eating a whole pie? Eating a whole mini pie.
What’s easier to transport than a jar with a lid?…Nothing.

(My points just seem to be rolling out in groups of three this evening.)

This post from Our Best Bites provided me with some inspiration, and even comes with some rather adorable labels to top your jars with. It’s worth checking out if you’re interested in making your own pies-in-a-jar. For my part, I did what I usually do…read some blog posts on the subject at hand, then decided not to follow any of the recipes after all. So, in all accuracy, I probably couldn’t replicate these exact mini pies ever again.

(Awkward silence as you ponder how unhelpful of a blog writer I really am…)

I made two types of pies-in-a-jar; a pretty basic apple pie with lots of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, lemon and lemon zest) and a pear and mixed berry pie (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, almond extract).

I love how they look here, all packaged up and ready to travel!

Have you ever tried baking pies (or anything else) in a jar? I would love to hear:

Stories about YOUR mini pie experiences, or questions about mine.
Interest in being a mail-tester for a pie-jar (depending on the number of comments I receive, I’ll put your name in a drawing.)
Which of the two above flavors you would have purchased had YOU attended the bake sale?

Pertaining to Pasties…

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Chess Pie, Savory Pie

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

chess, handheld, lemon, meat, savory

Our good friend Phil spent a week with us in February. He’s the type of guy who never does anything halfheartedly, whether it’s becoming an overnight fan of the Utah Jazz basketball team or making an authentic Australian meal.

Once Phil and I had the idea that we must make pasties while he was visiting, the whole thing kind of snowballed.

Oh wait, take a step back. What’s a pasty? Take a second to educate yourself if you’re not sure. (They’re basically meat and vegetable handheld pies.) But if you’re going to make proper pasties, you need to be even more specific.

Things that I discovered while grocery shopping with Phil:

1. Proper pasties contain beef, onion, potato, and swede.

2. Swede is Australian for rutabaga. (!!)

3. In a good and just world, pasties are accompanied by HP Sauce. Not surprisingly, the very American grocery store that we had visited to locate the swede did not stock HP sauce. There was clearly nothing for it but to make our own. Into the cart went the tomatoes.

So there we were, on a Monday night, chopping some steak and swede, mincing fresh rosemary, forming pastry, and simmering homemade HP sauce on the road. I made extra pastry, because savory pie followed by sweet pie is pretty much a perfect meal. As we were making enough food to feed a small army, it was luckily that we had six friends on our way over to share in the goodness.

(Thanks to Phil for the above photo!)

Here are the recipes we used for the pasties and the sauce. To be fair, we more glanced at the recipe to establish the necessity of including the swede. I used Ken Haedrich’s Basic Flaky Pie Crust for the pastry and we included some herbs in our version, most notably fresh rosemary from a friend’s garden. The sauce was lip-smackingly good; I’d definitely make it again for any and all future steak situations.

An egg wash over the pasties never hurts. Nor does the accompaniment of a nice Aussie red. I can think of many things that would hurt far more than those.

And now, dessert. A very simple Lemon Chess Pie, which perhaps did not receive a completely thorough cooling before it was consumed, but was none the worse for its lingering warmth and just a tiny bit of runniness.

PS to Phil/File: Here is a little note I received from a certain young 2nd grader later that week that I thought you might enjoy.

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